{"id":230401,"date":"2025-05-12T14:21:24","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T18:21:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=230401"},"modified":"2025-06-02T22:12:42","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T02:12:42","slug":"alumni-honored-at-inaugural-clas-awards-ceremony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2025\/05\/alumni-honored-at-inaugural-clas-awards-ceremony\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumni Honored at Inaugural CLAS Awards Ceremony"},"content":{"rendered":"

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences recently celebrated the achievements of six outstanding alumni during its inaugural CLAS Alumni Awards Ceremony.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The event brought together faculty, staff, alumni, and family members to honor graduates whose careers reflect the excellence and impact of a liberal arts and sciences education.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur alumni are among UConn\u2019s greatest ambassadors, and we take immense pride in their accomplishments,\u201d said UConn President Radenka Maric. \u201cThese awards in CLAS and across the University reflect the transformative power of a UConn education and the positive impact Huskies make in Connecticut and around the world.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe launch of our alumni awards program reflects our enduring commitment to celebrating the lifelong impact of a liberal arts education,\u201d said CLAS dean Ofer Harel.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With more than 130,000 alumni, CLAS is UConn\u2019s largest and most academically diverse college. The new awards program was created to recognize alumni who exemplify the College\u2019s core values of community, creativity, dedication, diversity, empowerment, and integrity.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese individuals reflect the depth, diversity, and impact of a CLAS education in their work and their lives,\u201d Harel said in his opening remarks. \u201cThe awards were established to celebrate individual achievement, but also the power of a liberal arts and sciences education to open doors, fuel ambition, and inspire change.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The winners were honored on April 30 at the Alumni House in Storrs. Their work spans science, policy, media, and the environment.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Distinguished Alumni Awards \u2013 Social Sciences and Humanities<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Bryan Pollard \u201985 (CLAS) <\/span><\/b>graduated magna cum laude in political science as a UConn Honors Scholar and Phi Beta Kappa member. He earned his JD from Yale and led a 35-year legal career, including roles at Crowell & Moring in Washington, D.C., Day, Berry & Howard in Hartford, CT, and United Technologies Corporation (now RTX Corporation). He has served on multiple nonprofit boards and two terms on Middletown\u2019s Ethics Commission. A Past President of the UConn Alumni Association, he is now serving a second term as Alumni Trustee. He and his wife support the annual Alumni and Student of Color Networking Night.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Bryan
Bryan Pollard \u201985 (CLAS) received a CLAS Distinguished Alumni Award in the Social Sciences and Humanities. (Photo courtesy of UConn Foundation)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mike Soltys \u201981 (CLAS) <\/span><\/b>began his career as an intern at ESPN in 1980 and went on to serve in corporate communications for 43 years, including 20 as vice president. He led strategic publicity and issue management for ESPN\u2019s networks and platforms, helped launch ESPN\u2019s corporate blog and media site, and managed major campaigns such as ESPN\u2019s 25th anniversary. He served as a registered lobbyist for Connecticut issues and was ESPN\u2019s longest-serving Editorial Board member. Mike holds a master\u2019s from the University of Hartford and now serves as ESPN Historian. He was recognized in 2024 with a Lifetime Achievement Award from UConn\u2019s Department of Communication. In memory of their parents, Mike and his sisters have established an annual scholarship at UConn for students pursuing careers in athletic communications.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Mike
Mike Soltys \u201981 (CLAS) received a CLAS Distinguished Alumni Award in the Social Sciences and Humanities. (Photo courtesy UConn Foundation)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Distinguished Alumni Awards \u2013 Life and Physical Sciences<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Kevin Bohacs \u201976 (CLAS)<\/span><\/b> is a sedimentary geologist who earned his Ph.D. from MIT and spent over 40 years in industry research, primarily at ExxonMobil. His work has focused on mudstone systems, basin analysis, and Earth systems modeling, with applications on Earth and Mars. He has conducted research in over 40 countries, published more than 100 scientific works, co-authored and edited several books, and is listed as co-inventor on three patents. He has held roles in scientific lecturing and field training, and supports student education through the Earth Sciences Nugget Fund at UConn.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Kevin
Kevin Bohacs \u201976 (CLAS) received a CLAS Distinguished Alumni Award in the Life and Physical Sciences. (Photo courtesy UConn Foundation)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Richard Piacentini MS \u201984 (CLAS)<\/span><\/b> is President and CEO of Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, where he has led initiatives in sustainability and regenerative design since 1994. Under his leadership, Phipps Conservatory built the Center for Sustainable Landscapes, which is one of the greenest buildings in the world and produces as much energy and water as it uses. Among other accomplishments, he oversaw the creation of the first LEED certified greenhouse, a zero-energy modular classroom called the Nature Lab, and the highly sustainable Exhibit Staging Center, which meets the highest green building standards. Piacentini holds an MS in Botany from UConn, an MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a BS in Pharmacy from the University of Rhode Island.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Richard
Richard Piacentini MS \u201984 (CLAS) received a CLAS Distinguished Alumni Award in the Life and Physical Sciences. (Photo courtesy of UConn Foundation)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Emerging Leader Award \u2013 Humanities and Social Sciences\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Prabhas KC \u201922 (CLAS)<\/span><\/b> At UConn, economics major Prabhas KC served as a Board Member and Student Representative on the Mansfield Downtown Partnership, received the Department of Economics\u2019 Dr. Joseph W. McAnneny, Jr. Award, and delivered the commencement address at his graduation in 2022.\u00a0 He joined tech firm ServiceNow after graduation and earned the company\u2019s \u201cHungry and Humble\u201d Award. KC is the self-published author of \u201cNani, Let\u2019s Count to 10!,\u201d a bestselling bilingual children\u2019s book, and founded Babu\u2019s Books to promote cultural identity among second-generation immigrants through partnerships with schools and nonprofits.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Prabhas
Prabhas KC \u201922 (CLAS) won the CLAS Emerging Leader Award in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Photo courtesy UConn Foundation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Emerging Leader Awards \u2013 Life and Physical Sciences<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Tanisha Williams \u201919 Ph.D. <\/span><\/b>is Assistant Professor of Plant Biology at the University of Georgia and Director of the UGA Herbarium. She studies plant conservation, climate change adaptation, and the role of Indigenous knowledge in ecosystem resilience, and her work spans the U.S., South Africa, and Australia. Williams previously held a postdoctoral fellowship at Bucknell University, where she described two new plant species and mentored more than 40 students. A Fulbright Fellow and Alumni Ambassador, she also founded Black Botanists Week and has received honors including the ASPT Peter Raven Award and the Linnaean Society\u2019s Bicentenary Medal.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Tanisha
Tanisha Williams \u201919 Ph.D. won the CLAS Emerging Leader Award in the Life and Physical Sciences. (Photo courtesy of UConn Foundation)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Learn more about the CLAS Alumni Awards<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The ceremony recognized distinguished alumni who have had successful careers and alumni who are emerging as leaders in their fields<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":230425,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2226],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[1860],"class_list":["post-230401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-clas"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-17 03:02:43","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230401"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230401\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":231403,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230401\/revisions\/231403"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/230425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230401"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=230401"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=230401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}